House of Questions
by s1bunaluvr
Summary: Zaria Daft is a 17-year-old Brit whose mom died when she was 10. 7 years later when she gets some new information and questions her dad, she is sent to a boarding school for her "outrageous behavior". Will she stop her search? Or will people from her past and her new friends from anubis reveal something unbelievable. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue:  
Hi. My name is Zaria Daft. My best friend is Layla. She has short strawberry-blonde hair, green eyes, and pale skin with little freckles across her nose. She has always been my best friend, but when I was 8 years old not only did my mom die, but something changed in Layla.  
_Flashback_  
_"Mommy, are we there yet?" I asked my mom as we drove to the park._  
_"Almost," my mom said. Five minutes later we were at the park and my mom told me to go play. I went and played on the slide with Layla. After about 30 minutes I was thirsty so I went to the water fountain. When I got back everyone was crowding around something. They were all screaming and I heard some people saying things like "Call 911" or "What happened". I looked in the crowd but I couldn't find my mom or Layla. I started calling out their names, then I heard Layla screaming "Zaria!" and she was sobbing. _  
_I screamed, "Layla! Where are you!" at the top of my lungs, and the crowd parted until I could see Layla on the ground with a gunshot in her shoulder. _  
_"OH MY GOSH! LAYLA!" Now I was crying. I asked the people around me, "Where's mommy? WHERE'S MY MOM?" Now everyone was looking at me with sympathy in their eyes. By then I was sobbing and utterly confused. Then the ambulance showed up along with my dad, the FBI, and Layla's parents. I was so scared. I started throwing a temper tantrum and my dad pick me up and drove me home._  
Chapter 1:  
~7 years later~  
It's 2 months after my 17th birthday. Today is the 7 year anniversary of my mother's death. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who remembered that. Ever since my mom's death everyone has been acting especially strange. My father acts like my mother never died, but I know he remembers. I know by the way he treats me. He never talks to me anymore. It pains him because I look so much like her. I have the same wavy, dark brown hair, almost black, the same striking blue-green eyes, the same pale skin, same british accent, and the same sarcastic personality. The only difference was my light pink highlights that I got when I was 13.  
I just realized something. I've never seen my mother's grave, not even for a funeral. She never had one. Since it was the day of my mother's death, I decided to bring her flowers. It seemed like a normal thing to do. I began to walk home from school. It was cold. The freezing snow burned on my cheeks like fire. I could see my white breath. I wore my thickest coat and snow boots. I walked as fast as possible on the icy sidewalk. When I walked into the flower shop I immediately knew what I was looking for. I remembered that my mother's favorite flowers were light pink roses because she always gave them to me after my ballet performances. I slowly walked up to the mansion that was my home. It wasn't really a mansion. It was just a large house in London. It was a stone house with flowers surrounding it. I hated it. It was too happy for our miserable family. I walked inside and saw my father buried in his laptop as usual.  
"Hey dad?" I asked.  
"I'm working! Go help Sylvia with the kids while she makes dinner." dad replied in an annoyed tone. Sylvia was my step-mom. The "kids" were my half-brother and sister. My sister was 5 and my brother was 8 months old.  
"Please dad. Listen. I was wondering if you could tell me where I could find mom's grave?" I asked hopefully. He hated when I asked him about mom.  
"Why on earth would you like to know that?" He remarked.  
"I realized I had never been to her grave, and I thought since its been 7 years since her death I should bring her flowers." I explained.  
"Zaria, You know we don't talk about Alice in this household."  
" WHY WON'T YOU JUST TELL ME!" I shouted and stormed off. I was going to find her. I wanted to know the truth. NOW! I decided to start at the graveyard near the park that she always loved. Nothing. I went to every graveyard in London, and I still found nothing. I went to every morg and found nothing. I even went to the sheriff's office and all they found was a missing persons flyer. This was getting weird. Where was my mom?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello people of . This is my first attempt at a fanfiction. Believe it or not this story all began as an English assignment. Please R&R. ALL FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED!...even if its negative :( So…that being said… ENJOY! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own house of anubis or any of the characters :'( **

Chapter 2:  
I woke up the next day and started my search for my mom. My plan was to demand answers from my dad first. It was Saturday so he wasn't working today. I woke up extra early because I knew I had a long day ahead of me. I dashed down the stairs to my father's office. I wasn't surprised to see him sitting on his laptop, working when he didn't need to.

"Dad, I need some answers. NOW!" I demanded. I knew if I wanted to get anything out of him I needed to be stern.

"You do not speak to me in that manner, young lady," my father remarked.

"Why not? You've been lying to me about mom! I have EVERY right to speak to you in this manner!"

"Why are you suddenly so obsessed with Alice? I've never lied to you about what happened. Now go back to bed, It's early."

"Not until you give me answers! Why is there no record of her death? Why doesn't she even have a grave?"

"Fine," he continued, "she has no grave because we spread her ashes in a field after we had her cremated."

"Then why is there no record of her death?"

_Ring ring ring. _Stupid phone. I was finally getting somewhere. I stormed up the stairs as angry and confused as ever.

"Fuck you," I muttered under my breath. He looked up but ignored my comment.

This had been happening alot lately. I slammed the door, locked it, and pulled out my laptop. I looked up the park my mother had died in. I looked on every single website hoping I would find something about a woman in her 30s getting kidnapped or a girl getting shot in the shoulder. Nothing. I decided to go to the park and ask the owner a few questions.

"Excuse me?" I asked the lady at the front desk.

"How may I help you?" She responded with a warm smile.

"Can I please speak to the owner of this park?"

"I'm sorry but he is on vacation this month. Can I give him a message?"

"No, it's fine. Maybe you could help me?"

"Sure, what do you need?"

"I was wondering if there was ever an incident with a little girl being shot in the shoulder or a woman being kidnapped and murdered?"

"Not that I'm aware of, but I can check the records in the back. If you don't mind me asking, why would you like to know?"

"Ummm... It's kind of a long story," I said shyly not wanting to explain my story.

"I have time."

" Well, I don't," as soon as I said this I realized how mean I sounded,"I'm sorry, I'm just desperate and need answers fast."

"I understand. I found the records. There is only one account of a girl being shot in the shoulder and on the same day a woman was kidnapped, but it says here the case was never solved."

"Really?" I said a little too enthusiastic than I should be. I mean, I feel like I should be happy that I'm getting answers, but I feel like if I get my hopes up I'll end up getting disappointed. I mean, that was 7 YEARS ago.

"It says here that they were both shot. The girl was rushed to a hospital, but the woman was kidnapped. She is missing to this day. I'm not really supposed to, but I can make a copy of these records for you if you'd like."

"Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Well I'm glad I could be of assistance. Now, here's the file" She said as she handed me the papers.

_Missing? Why would everyone tell me she was dead if she was missing? What was the point of this? Is this a joke? _These questions and many more blazed through my continuously crazy mind. My dad is a liar. This much I know. A lying piece of shit. I know I'm not getting any more information out or him. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I never spoke to his sorry ass again. I guess its time to talk to Layla.

"Layla? I know you don't like talking about this subject...but I really need to know what happened the day my mom..." I couldn't bring myself to finish this sentence, but she understood what I wanted to know.

"I would love to tell you everything, but, as you already know, I don't remember any of it."

"Maybe this will help you remember?" I showed her the file with all the information of my mother being kidnapped and them being shot. I tried showing her pictures of my mom, telling her everything about our childhood, saying ANYTHING that would make her remember. Each time her answer was the same.

"I don't know."

WHY DIDN'T SHE KNOW? UGH! Sometimes I wished I could just disappear. I wish I could just escape from my abnormal life... But I can't. Not now. Even if I wanted to run away I would always be thinking about what would've happened if I had continued looking for my mom. Even if I didn't find anything, or if I did, would it give me closure? That is why I can't give up. I have to find her. Or at least the man who killed her. I need to find something to make Layla remember, or at least tell me the truth. I suddenly feel as if I'm completely alone, and no one is on my side. What am I going to do?

**A/N: Sorry…short chapter. Im also sorry for the wait. I promise to update every Saturday from now on. If I don't…please don't hesitate to review saying Im a bitch because I didn't update. If Im having writers block Ill post something on my profile and maybe you guys could give me some ideas? I promise HOA characters come in starting Ch.4. I have this story written up to there. I have a few ideas but I honestly have no idea where Im going with this… Well… Peace off! If you sneezed while reading this bless you… oops… copyright of tobygames…teehee… I have got to stop watching youtube. Yup. Im weird.**


	3. Chapter 3

'**Ello people of the fanfiction world! New chapter! I got bored so…tada! Sorry its short. I'm almost done with Ch.4 and its a lot longer I promise! HOA coming up! R&R! XD**

Chapter 3:

I rushed inside my house and slammed the door for the third time this week, and I began sobbing. Why was I sobbing? I'm not an emotional person. I barely even cried when my mom died. Then I heard a knock at my door.

"GO AWAY!" I screamed at the top of my lungs and began weeping again. My dad walked right into the room. " Wow. Not only do I have no answers from you, but now I have no privacy either," I stated emotionlessly.

"I have some big news to tell you," he said.

There were a million different things I considered saying at that moment, but no sound came out of my mouth. Thoughts were buzzing through my head. Who does he think he is? Why does he think he can demand me to listen when I can't get his attention for more than 5 seconds? Why was I suddenly so emotional? Did he even notice I was crying? Wait, did he say he had "big news"?

I guess I was silent for a while because he continued, "You've been having quite an attitude lately, and that kind of behavior does not go unpunished."

I remained silent and hoped that I looked unbothered by his comment, but on the inside I was shaking and knew that whatever the punishment was, I would NOT like it. Then the 2 words I never wanted to hear came out his mouth. "Boarding school." Now I didn't care if I looked bothered by him or not, I was.

I began shouting, "BOARDING SCHOOL? YOU DON'T WANT ME THERE AS A PUNISHMENT! YOU JUST WANNA GET RID OF ME! I HATE YOU!"

He calmly replied, "You will be attending a boarding school about 2 hours from here and staying in the house of anubis."

"The what-uh-huh-huh?" I asked. I guess he didn't expect me to respond because he jumped when I said this.

"The house of anubis. Now pack your bags. They've already started their year, and I don't want you to be any farther behind than you already are."

"What about Layla?"

"Who?"

"My best friend since the day I was born."

"I suppose you may visit her on the holidays," he sighed.

"You suppose? She's been my best and ONLY friend my entire life and you expect me to be okay with only seeing her 2 or 3 times a YEAR?"

"You should've thought about that before you began acting so profusely. Now pack your bags, it's getting late."

"It's only 6:00 p.m."

"Exactly. Your cab will arrive at 2:00 a.m. tomorrow. I expect you to be packed, well-rested, and ready to go at 12:30."

"Yes sir," I said sarcastically under my breath and began packing angrily. Boarding school? What is he thinking? Well...actually...now I can investigate without anyone telling me not too. It would also be nice to live with my friends, but they aren't my friends. They are strangers.

I haven't been this nervous since my first ballet recital. I haven't done ballet since, you know, the "incident". Anyways, here I am, shaking more than ever, looking for a HUGE old house in a BOARDING school. I read a new text from Layla. **(italics=Layla, underline=Zaria)**

_so...hav u replaced me yet? _

NEVER! i think i hav cold feet...i cnt even walk in the door...

_u can do it zar...im sure evry1 will luv u_

well...i better get inside b4 some1 sees me standing here 4 an hr

_haha...call me as soon as u unpack...MISS U!_

i will...u 2

I walked past what seemed like a million houses until I found a gigantic brick house than had a small sign above the archway reading _ANUBIS_. Okay Zaria, this is it. The moment of truth. This is when my life will change forever. I rushed to the door before I could stop myself and knocked twice. Then it opened and I stepped inside.

**TOLD YOU IT WAS SHORT! Ok…I don't really have much to say…so…bye-bye! :P**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hola people who own computers! Long chapter coming up! Dis chappy is dedicated to bookworm1235 for always reviewing…your reviews make my day! :o) well…ENJOY!**

Chapter 4:  
"Hello?" I asked,"anybody here?" I looked at my paper. It says my housekeeper was some dude named Victor. Sounds scary. "Hello?" I repeated. "Does anyone know where I could find someone named Victor?" I turned around and jumped 5 feet in the air(not literally) when I saw a tall dark haired man wearing really old-fashioned clothes. He was scary.

"A-Are you Victor?" I stammered.

"I am he," Victor replied.

"Oh. My name is Zaria Daft. I'm the new student. These papers say I'll be staying here," I replied sheepishly.

"You're late. An entire semester late," he said sternly.

"I just transferred from a sc-" he cut me off.

"I'm not concerned as to why you are la-" It was my turn to cut him off.

"Excuse me, but where I come from it is considered polite to let someone finish their sentence." I smirked as I said this in the sweetest voice possible.

"Go to your rooms immediately!" Victor shouted. Then I noticed the other teenagers crowded around the front hall. They must have gotten here while we were arguing and I didn't notice. A girl with light skin, wavy dirty blonde hair, and brown eyes approached me.

"Hi. I'm Nina. Ignore Victor. He's just a grumpy old housekeeper. He gave me the same speech when I first moved here two years ago. Trudy, our housemother, is the one who does all the work around here. Pay no attention to Victor. C'mon. I'll show you around."

"Thanks. I'm Zaria. Nice to meet you." This girl, Nina, seems nice. She seems like a good friend, but I just met her so who knows? She could be a devil in disguise. }:)

"Well...Follow me," Nina said, "Here's the living room, and the dining room, and the kitchen." All the furniture is really nice...and antique. Not that I don't like antiques. They're really pretty. I'm just more of a modern kind of girl.

"...and down this hall are the boys rooms. The first one is Alfie's and Jerome's room..."

"Who and who?" I asked.

"You'll meet them at supper. They're the school pranksters. They'll be the ones starting a food fight." I giggled.

She continued, "and this is Fabian's and Eddie's room."

"Cool," I simply stated.

Then she pointed to a door by the staircase. "That's the cellar. It's strictly forbidden and really creepy down there. So I don't recommend sneaking down there. Same goes for the attic which I'll show you in a minute."

"Got it." We walked up the stairs.

She pointed to the left. "Victor's office. Off limits," she said.

We walked down the hall. She told me the first door on the right was the bathroom, the second door on the right was hers and Amber's room, the third door on the right was Joy's, Mara's, and Patricia's room. The door across from Amber's and Nina's room leads to the attic. This house is HUGE. Its not as big as my old house and sharing a room with two other people is going to take a little getting used to, but its still a really big house.

"What room are you staying in?" Nina asked me. I looked at my paper.

_House: House of Anubis_

_Housekeeper: Victor Rodenmaar_

_Housemother: Trudy Rehman _

_Roommates: Nina Martin and Amber Millington_

"Ummm... It says here that I'll be rooming with you and a girl named Amber."

I heard a loud squeal coming from behind me.

"Yay! The new girl is staying in our room!" the girl who I'm assuming is Amber told Nina. We both giggled.

"She does that a lot," Nina informed me.

"Hi. I'm Zaria. You must be Amber," I said to the girl.

"Wow. I love your highlights...and your shoes. Are they Prada? I think we're gonna be great friends," Amber informed me.

"Thanks, yeah. They're Prada." I responded, "So... when do I meet the rest of the people that live here?"

"Supper," they said at the same time.

"Cool. I guess I'll go unpack."

"Okay," the said simultaneously, "We've gotta stop doing that." We all laughed.

As I unpacked my things I thought about my new home... and the people in it. Nina seems like a really nice person that you can always talk to. Amber seems like a popular girl who loves to gossip, but I don't think she would ever intentionally hurt someone. Her and Nina seem like best friends, and Amber is definitely a fashionista. I'm NOT a fashionista. I wear nice clothes and accessories(like Prada), but that's only because my dad is loaded. The house is kinda creepy. Horror movie creepy. I swear that when I look at the attic door creepy music starts playing, but Victor doesn't scare me. He does seem weird though. He could totally be in a horror movie. If you haven't noticed... I LOVE horror movies. They don't scare me at all. I just like the suspense, but it's kinda annoying when your date takes you to a horror movie and they end up being the one that's scared.

When I'm almost done unpacking I look at the clock. 5:30. Good. We'll probably be having supper soon. Right as I'm thinking that I hear a woman shout "Supper's ready!" up the stairs. I quickly finish unpacking and head downstairs. When I get there everyone is already at the table eating, but everyone stops and stares at me when I walk in. I hate being the center of attention.

"Ummm...hi... I'm Zaria," I say as I wave and smile awkwardly.

"Hello. I'm Fabian," said a boy with straight brown hair and bangs flipped to the side. He also had green eyes and without even talking to him I could tell he was a geek.

"Hi. I'm Mara. I really like your name," a girl with short wavy black hair and tan skin said. She was definitely a nerd.

"Thanks."

"Hey. I'm Eddie," said an attractive boy with messy blonde hair and eyes the color of chocolate. He was really cute but not my type. He smirked at me.

"and I'm Patricia," a girl with red hair quickly interrupted. She must be his girlfriend. Noticing her sudden outburst she added, "...I like your hair." I think she was attempting to sound nice. She had blue-green eyes like mine. I could tell she was a "goth pixie"... and I liked her. Not like that! I'm not lesbo or anything. I just think we are gonna be good friends.

"Thanks. Ditto." After a short silence everyone started listing their names.

"Joy," said a tan girl with straight brown hair.

"Alfie," a boy with dark skin and dark eyes and short curly hair said.

"Jerome," said an attractive boy with bleach blonde hair and icy blue eyes. I don't like him or anything... I'm just saying he's really cute.

"Oh, and I'm Trudy," said a woman with tan skin and dark curly hair that I'm assuming was the housemother.

"Okay. Lemme see if I can remember everyone's names." I named them in order of their seats starting at the head of the table and going clockwise.

"Nina, Amber, Alfie, Jerome, Mara, Joy, Patricia, Eddie, and Fabian. Right?"

"Yup," they all responded.

"Yay! And I'm just gonna guess... couples are Nina/Fabian, Eddie/Patricia, Jerome/Mara, and Amber/Alfie."

Amber replied, "Uh-huh. A.K.A. Fabina, Peddie, Jara, and Amfie. So...Zaria...Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No," I hesitantly said as Amber squealed, "but no playing matchmaker."

"Awww," Amber sighed. Everyone laughed.

"Wow Amber. The poor girl's here for 5 minutes and you're already pestering her about her love life," Jerome said.

Then Nina noticed I was still standing there not sitting with anyone and said, "Oh! Zaria! You can sit next to Fabian."

"Ok." I sat in the empty seat between Eddie and Fabian.

The rest of dinner went by pretty slowly. They would ask me questions about myself. I would respond. Blah blah blah. We all went to our rooms to get ready for bed. I put on a comfortable t-shirt and some boxer shorts.

I jumped at 10 when Victor said, "It's 10 o'clock. You have 5 minutes precisely, and then I want to hear a pin drop." I burst out laughing.

When I finally calmed down I asked Nina, "does he always do that?"

"Every night." She giggled, "We call it his famous pin speech." We both laughed.

"Well...I guess I better get to bed."

"Me too. Goodnight."

"'Night."

_I woke up to the sound of waves crashing on the shore. I feel the sand in my toes. I look around and have a deja vu moment. I remember this. This is my trip to America. It was before my mom died and we went to live on the beach in California for the summer. Then a saw a boy approaching me. He has tan skin, light blue eyes, and blonde hair that stuck up in funny places in a cute way. His name was Nathan._

"_Do you have to leave?" he asked._

"_I wish I didn"t. I'm gonna miss you so much, Nate," I started tearing up. _

"_Zar, don't cry. I made you something," he smiled nervously as he handed me a necklace with a small shell on it, "so you never forget me."_

**And the plot thickens…I am pleased to say that there is some house of Anubis this chapter! XD Right after I upload this chapter I am going to write chapter 5! I'm very excited for the next chapter…wellllll…bye :) you know what to do! R&R!**

**P.S. Next chapter will be up on Saturday.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello! As promised, here is your Saturday update. I would just like to clear up a few things so please DO NOT SKIP AUTHOR'S NOTE! So, at the beginning of this story I said I would be updating on Saturdays. As my summer passed I realized (with the help of bookworm1235) that I have been updating on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. So, to clear up any confusion, my official updating date from now on is Sunday. Also, I have a really busy week coming up so I don't know how much writing I'll be able to get done, but if I get some reviews it would motivate me to write more often. ;) Enjoy!**

Chapter 5:

_Beep Beep Beep_

I glanced at my clock out of the corner of my eye. 6:29. Shit! I have 15 minutes to get ready and it's my first day of school. I hopped out of bed and threw on my uniform. I put on some light makeup and put my hair in a messy bun. I grabbed my backpack and ran downstairs. When I walked in the kitchen I saw that everyone had already walked over to school. I grabbed an apple and ran over to my first class. I had Math, then English, then Science, then Drama.

I had the principal Mr. Sweet for Math and Science, an Australian lady named for English, and a young teacher named Mr. Winkler for drama.

Every night I kept having the same dream of saying goodbye to Nate. I couldn't decide whether it was a dream or a nightmare. All I know is that it made me miss him more than ever.

Before I knew it, it was Saturday. I got up at 10:00, took a quick shower, threw on a pair of skinny jeans and a sweatshirt, and walked downstairs for breakfast. I took my usual seat between Eddie and Fabian.

"YUM! PANCAKES!" I shouted putting four of them on my plate. Everyone laughed as I devoured them.

_Ding-dong_

We all looked at eachother. I wonder who it is.

"I'll get it," said Nina. We all got up and followed her to the door. When she opened it my jaw dropped.

"Hi. I'm- "

"Nate?" I gasped.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" he said looking in my eyes, "wait…Zaria?"

I nodded. He picked me up spun me around while laughing and finally put me on the ground. All the while my housemates were staring at us with a wtf look on their faces.

"I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Same here," I said dazedly, I was still pretty shocked. Then I remembered everyone was still watching us and had no clue what was going on here.

"Oh! Guys, this is Nate. Nate, this is Patricia, Eddie, Joy, Nina, Fabian, Amber, Alfie, Jerome, and Mara," I informed him.

"Hi, Nate. Why are you here?" Jerome growled and I realized all the Anubis girls were ogling him. I don't blame them. He was hot!

"Yeah. What are you doing here?" I questioned raising one eyebrow and putting extra emphasis on are.

"I go to school here," he replied smiling.

"Seriously?" I questioned excitedly.

"Seriously," he replied smirking. I squealed. Everyone gave me funny looks, including Nate.

"What?" I defended, "Is Amber the only one allowed to squeal around here?"

"No..." Eddie said.

"That was just..." Fabian said.

"Unexpected," finished Joy. I laughed. And by laughed, I mean LMFAO. That earned quite a few questioning looks.

"What's so funny?" Amber asked, slightly offended by my outburst.

"It's just that, you guys think you know me so well, and I've only been here a week. I squeal ALL THE TIME!" I said laughing at how well they thought they knew me. Even Nate thought I was crazy for squealing and laughing so hard. Maybe my laughing is crazy. I guess its just that time of the month when I laugh and cry about everything. Oh joy (note sarcasm).

After that everyone disappeared to go do their own things. I caught up with Nate while helping him unpack.

"So...how are your parents?" Nate asked. I winced at the mention of my mother.

"Uhhh... My dad...hates me...and my mom...died," I responded trying to sound strong, but a tear escaped my eyes anyways. Noticing my uneasiness, he wiped away my tear with his thumb. Then he pulled me into an embrace and whispered comforting words in my ear.

"It's ok. I'm fine, Nate. Please let go. I'm tired of grieving," I pleaded. I wiped my eyes and added, "So, what have you been doing all these years?"

We talked for hours telling eachother about our families, our hobbies, and our friends. He told me about his little brother, Zane, who had just turned 6, and his father who had just married his 7th wife. I told him about Sylvia and my half-siblings, Ariana and Lucas. He told me about his surfing, I told him about my singing. After I told him about my singing he spent the rest of the night trying to convince me to sing for him. I had never sang/sung in front of anyone before. No one even knew I could sing, not even Layla.

"I said no!" I told him for the trillionth time.

"Alrighty then, I guess I have to find another way of convincing you then," he said mischievously.

"What?" I asked confusedly, "Oh shit," I said as I realized what was about to happen. I ran around the room trying to get away from him but it was too late, he had me cornered. I screamed and then he attacked.

"Stop it!" I giggled as he sat on top of me tickling me. We were both laughing so hard.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Eddie asked when he walked in the room. Then I looked at Nate and we both went pale realizing the compromising position we were in. We both jumped to our feet and I stuttered to explain myself.

"W-we, h-he, I-I, uhhh," I said nervously.

"I was just, uh, tickling her so, uh, don't get the wrong idea," he explained.

Eddie stared disbelieving back and forth between us before nodding and muttering an, "if you say so." Flustered and blushing like hell I ran up to my room to get ready for bed. Noticing my embarrassment, Nina asked, "What happened?"

"Ummmm, nothing," I weakly responded. I was never good at lying.

Amber gasped, "You kissed Nate didn't you?" and she skipped over to my bed asking for details.

"No!" I shouted a little too loudly.

"But you like him, right?" Nina questioned.

"Absolutely not. Our relationship is 100% platonic."

"mmhmmm," they responded disbelievingly.

"It's true!"

"Yeah, yeah go to bed," Amber said. It's true. I did NOT have feelings for Nate whatsoever. We were just friends. I hadn't even seen him in 8 years. Even if I used to fancy him, that would be over by now.

**TADA! So…what do you think? Do you like Nate? R&R! Byez. **

**P.S. This chapter was dedicated to my BFF Jillian. Check out her awesome story on fiction press! Her username is fantasygurl1330 and her story is called on my own. She is also working on an AMAZING story called Stuck in the friend zone which she will be posting soon. XD**


	6. Chapter 6

**sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry! IM SO SORRY! I started school recently and I've been getting a ton of homework and I've been developing a plot for this story. Please forgive me. I might not be able to update as often. School work is overwhelming and I've recently joined some honors classes. Also, to make up for my severe lateness I am posting another chapter tomorrow night(so around one in the morning…) and I am putting the cast list on my profile! :) Enjoy! R&R!**

Chapter 6:

As the weeks passed I got closer and closer to everyone. Patricia and I were now best friends and were trying to convince Victor to let us move up to the attic. Nate was my best guy friend, if you hadn't already guessed, and I spent most of my time fooling around with him. Every so often I would catch him staring at me, and whenever I questioned him about it he shrugged it off and said he was just thinking of how crazy it was that we were here. I would just laugh and smack him across the face and scream in his ear, "I'M REAL!"

Trying to hide his smirk he would respond, "I believe you. By the way...OWWW!"

Anyways, exactly a month after I moved in I recieved this email:

_Zaria, please come home. I miss you so much. Perhaps I acted a little too harshly. I_

_mailed you a first class plane ticket home. I hope to see you soon._

_xoxo ~Dad_

NO DIP SHERLOCK! DUH YOU ACTED TOO HARSHLY! I ASK ONE SIMPLE QUESTION AND YOU SEND ME TO A BOARDING SCHOOL FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! GEEZ! After I cooled down a bit, I responded:

_If you think I would ever come home, then you're an idiot! I love it here! These people treat me more like family than you ever have! Now leave me the fuck _

_alone! If you think you can buy my love then you're wrong! _

_~Zaria_

I slammed my laptop shut and stormed out of the room, downstairs, and into Nate and Eddie's room. In the past month, the only person I ever talked to about my family was Nate. When I walked in he instantly knew something was wrong. He ran up to me and gave me one of his bear hugs that always made me feel better. We stayed in this position for 5 minutes before Nate broke the silence.

"You can cry if you want to."

Right as those words escaped his lips I started bawling. I cried for at least an hour before I ran out of tears, and the entire time Nate was there comforting me, not asking any questions.

When I finally stopped my tears, I stammered between sniffles, "H-he's such a-a d-d-dickhead."

"What happened? Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked me.

"It's ok. You don't need to listen to me vent," I told him.

He pushed me so I would sit on his bed, and said, "Tell me."

I took him up to my room so he could read the emails. When he read them he did something I definitely did not expect. He laughed! I slapped him across the face.

"What's so funny, dickhead?" I said angrily.

"You're so cute!" he responded.

"What?!" I asked now extremely confused.

"You're so cute...when you're angry," he added. I scowled.

"Am not!"

"See! Right there! You're adorable scowl! You look like a retarded cow!" he responded bursting out laughing.

Then I punched him in the face. Hard.

"I'm taking a shower!" I shouted and stormed out of the room. Then I added, "and you better not be here when I get back! Douchebag!"

I was so mad at him! I swear if he doesn't apologize to me in an extravagant way I'm gonna kick him where it hurts. As the warm water ran down my back, I thought about all the terrible shit that happened today. I turned the water off and was about to get out of the shower when I heard the doorknob turn. _Shit. _I thought. _I forgot to lock the door. _I hastily grabbed a towel and hid in the shower. I screamed when I saw who it was...and what they were wearing, or what they weren't wearing...

**TADA! I hope you enjoyed! Hmmmmm…I wonder who walked in on her…hehe just kidding! I already know who walked in on her! Its you who is forced to wait in anticipation! Mwahahahaha! Im so evil…**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: IM SO SORRY! That's it! No more promises! All I do is break them! UGH! Well…although it's later than I'd hoped…Enjoy! R&R! PM ME! I want to write an original story for fictionpress but I need ideas! Even if it's an idea for this story I would be glad to hear it! I have most of the plot for this one figured out, but I have no idea what to do with Layla…**

Chapter 7:

"Ahhhh!" I screamed.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" He screamed.  
"Holy flippin' animal crackers! What are you doing in the girl's bathroom and more importantly WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU NAKED!?" I asked while shielding my eyes and freaking out.  
"Uhhhh...my towel fell?" Eddie said awkwardly.  
"Well, don't just stand there! Put it on! ...And you never answered me. Why are you in here? You're obviously NOT a girl."  
"Nate has been in the shower for the past hour! I got tired of waiting so I decided to take a shower up here," he explained.

"Ok. Now that I know why you're here, GET THE FUCK OUT!"

"NO! YOU GET OUT! I still need a shower, remember?"  
"No! I was here first. You shouldn't even be here anyways," I argued.  
"I'm not leaving. I didn't want it to come to this but I guess we co-"  
"GAH! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!" I interrupted running out of the bathroom and to my room. I am officially scarred for life. I didn't actually see anything. Thankfully I covered my eyes in time.  
After calming down a bit, I threw on a pair of yoga pants and a big t-shirt and checked my email. I had a new message from my dad. _That's weird._ I thought I told him to leave me the fuck alone. Oh well, lets see what stupid thing he said this time.

_Zaria, I know I haven't been there for you as much as I should have been after your mother's death. I'm glad you enjoy it there. I hope one day you can forgive me. Maybe I could tell you some things about your mother if you come home. She was in Anubis House too. _

_~Dad_

I was beyond mad. I was pissed! So now he tells me about my mom! Ugh!

_Are you trying to bribe me? Newsflash! I don't need you to find information about my mom! There's this wonderful creation, its called the internet and it helps you find things about people. You understand? I DON'T NEED YOU! SO STAY OUT OF MY LIFE!_

How did my life come to this? In two months I'd gone from a girl who lived in a big house and had a normal family to a girl researching her mother's death and living in a boarding school 100 miles away from home. I can't believe she went to school here.  
I went onto the school's website. Let's see. My mom was born in 1963, and she would've gone to school here when she was 16 or 17. That means she would've gone to Anubis House in 1980. I searched _1980 yearbook. _She wasn't there. Maybe she went a different year.  
I spent the next two and a half hours looking through all the yearbooks since my mom was born. After looking at every page in 20 different yearbooks I gave up and dropped onto my bed. I stared at the ceiling for 20 minutes just thinking. Unfortunately, when you think you tend to remember things you've been trying to forget. One of those things was what happened with Eddie today. I needed to tell someone. Normally I would talk to Patricia about something like this, but I definitely can't in this situation. Who could I talk to? Obviously not Amber, she has a mouth the size of a black hole. I can't tell Nate, he would freak out. Plus, I'm still mad at him. I can't tell Jerome or Alfie because they would laugh at me, and Jerome would make Eddie's and my life a living hell with that kind of information. Nina would tell Fabian who would talk to Eddie, so I can't tell either of them. Mara would make me feel even more guilty for not telling Patricia, and Joy would no doubt tell Patricia since they're best friends. That leaves one person who I'm positive wouldn't tell anyone, and I haven't talked to her since I moved here. Layla. I dialed her number, and luckily she answered.  
"I am so mad at you right now Zaria! Words can't even describe how pissed I am! You promised you wouldn't forget me!"  
"Layla! I could never forget you! I'm so sorry I haven't called you since I moved! I've been really busy lately! I have so much to tell you!" I apologized.  
"Fine, but I'm still mad at you. What happened?"  
I told her about everything that has happened since I got here. I left out the parts about my mom, I know those kind of things stress her out. She stayed silent the whole time, just listening to what I had to say.  
When I finally finished she said, "Oh my god! Nate's there? Is he hot? Is that Eddie kid hot? What are you gonna do? Why didn't you tell me all this sooner?"  
"Yes Nate is here, and yes he is hot. Eddie's hot I guess, but I told you he has a girlfriend. Patricia, one of my only good friends here. I have no idea what I'm going to do. That's why I called. By the way, Don't go thinking I like Nate just 'cause I thought he was attractive, our relationship is completely platonic," I told her.  
"mmhmm. sure. what does he look like?" she inquired enthusiastically.

"He has the most gorgeous blue eyes you would ever see, his hair is blonde and really messy, but in a good way, and he has a Cali tan and rock hard abs."

"And you know about his rock hard abs because?"

"cause I do!" I weakly defended myself. She giggled. "We're just friends! I don't like him like that!"

"Sure, you just spent the past hour talking about him, and the way you described him is not how a girl would describe a friend. Admit it! You like Nate!"

"I do not! Ugh! I gotta go. Call ya later. bye-bye." I hung up.

"It's ten o'clock. You have five minutes precisely, and then I want to hear a pin drop," Victor shouted up the stairs.

I got ready for bed and thought about what Layla said. I don't like Nate, do I?

**A/N: I hope you liked it! It was fun to write…Expect an update at some point in time! I don't know when...I'm lazy…**


	8. Chapter 8

**SO SO SO SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE! Between babysitting and schoolwork my life has been hectic lately. I've actually had this chapter written for a while I just didn't get the chance to put it up. R&R. ENJOY!**

Chapter 8:

I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes a picture of Nate popped up. Ugh! I need to talk to someone else about this.

"Hey Patricia? Are you awake?" I whispered as I crept into her room.

"I am now," she grumbled tiredly, " oh, Zar, it's you. What's up? Why are you up so late?"

"Couldn't sleep. I just needed someone to talk to."

"About?"

"Nate," I simply stated, knowing she would understand.

"I see. I don't know why people always come to me about boy trouble, but if you like Nate, which we all know you do, you should tell him."

"WHAT?! I do not like Nate! I never said that!"

"Oh! I see! You're in denial. If it helps, he likes you too."

What? Nate likes me? That doesn't help! That makes things even more complicated!

"How is that supposed to help me? Ugh! I'm going back to bed."

"Good idea."

I walked back to my room and finally fell asleep. I guess my talk with Patricia really did help.

I groggily rolled out of bed and looked at my clock. In bright red letters it read 9:30. Great! Layla should be up by now.

"Hello?" Layla muttered sleepily.

"Hey. I miss you. Come visit me. Now!" I demanded.

Layla sighed, "It was supposed to be a surprise, but last night after I heard how freaked out you were over the phone I went online and bought a plane ticket. I have the 3:30 flight. So I'll see ya in 8 hours! I gotta go pack. Bye."

"Bye," I quickly said before she ended the call.

Oh my God! My room is a mess. I put on my favorite band and hurriedly ran around the room cleaning as fast as I could. After what seemed like hours, I finally finished cleaning, but when I looked at the clock I realized I still had 6 hours before Layla arrived. So, I ran downstairs and turned on the new t.v. we just installed in the living room. I enthusiastically flipped to ion television and watched Criminal Minds.

After watching 3 full episodes of Criminal Minds and starting an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras a news report flashed across the screen. I watched intently. As the reality of the situation sunk in, my cheeks went ghostly pale, and I began to uncontrollably sob. How could this have happened? It's all my fault.

**DUN DUN DUN! Don't ya just love cliffhangers? Good news! I already have the next chapter written, BUT I will not be updating until I get at least 4 reviews from DIFFERENT people. R&R. XD**


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